FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ACCLAIMED GOSPEL ARTISTS, ORIGINAL THEATRE AND COMMUNITY VOICES COME TOGETHER FOR STILL HERE
DeAndre Patterson, Kim McFarland, Tim White and Jana Bonds join a free evening of music, original theatre and community reflection as West Side Theatre Guild opens its 30th Anniversary Season
GARY, Ind. — Acclaimed gospel artists DeAndre Patterson, Kim McFarland and Tim White will join West Side Theatre Guild artists, students and community voices on Friday, October 16, for STILL HERE: An Evening of Reflection, Remembrance & Song, a free community arts presentation opening the Guild’s 30th Anniversary Season at the Mark Spencer Auditorium in Gary.
The evening will feature Stellar Award-nominated gospel recording artist and radio personality DeAndre Patterson and acclaimed vocalist and recording artist Kim McFarland. Award-winning gospel recording artist Tim White will serve as host, with Jana Bonds joining the evening and moderating its community-reflection conversation. Together, the participants bring experience spanning recording, radio, live performance and community engagement, with professional roots and audiences throughout Chicago, Northwest Indiana and beyond.
Patterson is a Stellar Award-nominated recording artist and radio personality. McFarland’s career includes work with the Soul Children of Chicago, Vanessa Bell Armstrong and Donald Lawrence. White is an award-winning recording artist and leader of the Stellar Award-nominated group Tim White and Refocused.
At the heart of STILL HERE is DERECHO: A Different Kind of Wind, an original one-act play written and directed by Mark Spencer. Inspired by the human experiences surrounding the August storm and prolonged power outages in Northwest Indiana, the play captures a slice of life during extraordinary days as familiar routines disappear and neighbors increasingly find themselves depending upon one another.
“The storm gave us the circumstances, but the people gave us the story,” Spencer said. “What stayed with me were the ordinary ways people cared for one another during extraordinary days. STILL HERE gives us an opportunity to remember those moments through theatre, reflection and music.”
The production features Rose Simmons, Passion Jefferson, Kayleb Nelson and Ben Clement, with Trina Robinson, Savannah G. Morales and Darryl Crockett, along with students of the West Side Theatre Guild. The expanded company reflects the intergenerational neighborhood at the center of the play and the larger community spirit of the evening.
The theatrical production is supported by a creative team that includes Ann Davis, scenic designer, and Phoenix Ballentine, lighting designer, and Claude Kelly III, sound designer.
Jana Bonds, station manager WYCA radio, will moderate a community reflection featuring Pastors Eric Boone, Pharis Evans Jr., Dexter Harris and Royce Thompson, bringing together voices of perspective, faith and community experience within the evening’s broader artistic program.
STILL HERE is sponsored by Gary Community School Corporation and opens a milestone season for West Side Theatre Guild. Founded in Gary in 1996, the Guild celebrates 30 years of theatre, music, arts education and community engagement while continuing its commitment to “Serving the Community, One Performance at a Time.”
EVENT INFORMATION
STILL HERE: An Evening of Reflection, Remembrance & Song
Friday, October 16, 2026
Doors open at 5:00 p.m. | Program begins at 6:00 p.m.
Mark Spencer Auditorium | 900 Gerry Street | Gary, Indiana 46404
FREE TO THE PUBLIC
Admission is free, but seating is limited. Guests are strongly encouraged to obtain tickets in advance and arrive early. Admission is general admission and first come, first served. A ticket does not guarantee seating once venue capacity has been reached.
Free tickets are available at the following community locations:
West Side Leadership Academy, Main Office — 900 Gerry Street, Gary, IN 46404
Beautiful Things Gallery Floral And Gift Shop — 4335 Broadway, Gary, IN 46409
Gary YWCA — 150 W. 15th Avenue, Gary, IN 46407
Urban League of Northwest Indiana — 3101 Broadway, Gary, IN 46409
MEDIA AND INTERVIEW REQUESTS
Members of the media interested in arranging interviews with cast members, featured artists or other program participants may submit requests to mspencer@garycsc.k12.in.us.
ABOUT WEST SIDE THEATRE GUILD
Founded in Gary in 1996, West Side Theatre Guild, a performing arts program of the Gary Community School Corporation, celebrates its 30th Anniversary Season in 2026. Through theatre, music and arts education, the Guild continues its commitment to “Serving the Community, One Performance at a Time.”
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